The NBA Lockout went well over 100 days and delayed the start of the season. So much so that 16 games needed to be cancelled. The result was a shortened 66 game season. Not only was the season shortened but the pre-season, training camp and general player conditioning was delayed or cancelled.

Fast forward to present day. As we close in on the half way mark of the season it’s become evidently clear that injuries are starting to pile up. We are waiting for the return of most of these injured players in the next couple of weeks (Brook Lopez, Zach Randolph as examples) but for most their return dates are still up in the air. It’s easy to say that the injuries that happened would’ve occurred whteher the season was shortened or not. It’s also just as easy to attribute all of these injuries to minimal conditioning and lack of preparation.

The list of NBA Stars who are all on the shelf right now is staggering:

This is a compiled list of just a hand full of some of the bigger names that are out due to injury. There are many more who are not listed who have succumb victim to the injury bug.

Dirk Nowitzki chose to sit out 4 straight games in order to give time for his knee to heal. A knee injury he claimed happened because of lack of preparation to start the season. These players are creatures of habit who are used to getting ready for the season to start with a certain regime. This regime was non-existent during this past off-season and is apparently resulting in a major increase in on-court injuries.

What impact will these injuries have on the final result of the season is anyone’s guess right now. We have seen a lot of players come back from injury, and many more go on the injured list so it is safe to say this trend will continue right to the end of the season. As these players work to try and get themselves back into game shape and help their team during the stretch run, the question has to be asked whether or not their team’s will be able to hang on and stay alive for a Playoff spot before they can come back.